The Foundation has two major funding initiatives:

• "Branching Out: From Dream to Reality" is the name of the Foundation's $10 million fundraising campaign in support of the system's Branch Libraries. Through your generosity, you can help bring expanded collections, technology, and furnishings to the six new branch libraries being built and the 14 branch libraries being renovated and expanded.
• With the Santa Clara Office of Education, the Foundation co-sponsors Silicon Valley Reads, a program that promotes community-wide reading of the same book through a series of discussions and events centered around the book’s theme.

Join us as we transform San José's Branch Libraries into vibrant learning centers, creating a Library System fitting a world class city like San José.

Help us as we "branch out" to make your dreams of superlative libraries a reality - right where you live!

The Foundation supports programs that promote literacy for people of all ages. Area corporations and individual philanthropists have been generous in their support of a program that benefits everyone in the community.

Books for Little Hands helps early educators meet the emerging literacy needs of their children ages 0 to 5. Currently, 6,400 children and their parents and over 300 early educators benefit from the program. Through Books for Little Hands, childcare sites can exchange pre-selected bags of quality picture books and curriculum support theme kits monthly.

They receive a collection of books that children can “check-out” weekly to use at home. Tip sheets and workshops on early literacy are also available for early educators and parents. Evaluations show that 80% of early educators read more frequently and provide more of a variety of early literacy activities for the children in their care because of the program.

Studies indicate that at least 20% of American adults read at or below a fifth grade level. In San José, that means over 100,000 adults may not be able to read the instructions on a medicine bottle, fill out a job application, or use an ATM.

Partners in Reading enables English-speaking adults to improve their basic literacy skills so they can achieve their goals and function more effectively at home, in the community, at work and as lifelong learners. The program includes:

• One-to-one tutoring by trained volunteers
• Technology-assisted instruction including a computer lab, web TVs, electronic spellers and hardware and software for check-out
• Families for Literacy which helps break the cycle of low-level literacy in families